Knight of Kandor

Kara- Border

My entire body hurt. The chain mail and plate chaffed against the still open wounds of my back and stomach. Three days of travel on foot wore at me. I decided to finally stop in a small town to stay in an Inn instead of on the side of the road. It is a small two-story building. The entrance leads to a low ceiling tavern that is filled with towns folks drinking after a hard day of labor. The room quiets a little at my entrance, no doubt very few strangers passed through such an out of the way town. I was taking an indirect route to the border just in case the queen decided to have me killed anyway.

I place a couple copper coins on the bar to get the attention of the portly man behind it. He is carefully cleaning it, no doubt having spent most his life in this place and proud of what he built. He eyes me as he wraps up his conversation with the man across from him before making his way to me at the end.

"What can I get for you son?" I almost roll my eyes, I guess I was not quite Kara yet. It was safer to be a man while alone so I do not correct him.

"A room and a hot meal. Just for the night."

"What brings you here? Most people don't travel so far from the Queen's road."

"Moving." 

"You don't look like someone moving."

"I am starting over." The man gives me a knowing look.

"Ahh, some pretty lady broke your heart." A faint smile plays on my lips.

"You could say that." He looks confused at my wistful smile but it was almost a joke to me. The most beautiful woman I have ever seen broke my heart and all because I was born a woman instead of a man. 

"Very well lad. Would you like to eat here or in your room?" I consider that. I wanted to drink too to ease the constant throb of my entire body. 

"Here is fine. But can someone take my pack to my room? I have been traveling hard for days."

"Boy! Here!" He hollers. 

"First door on the right."

A boy around the age of eight or nine scampers up from somewhere. I hand the boy the heavy pack that he staggers under. Before he scampers off I grab his arm and slip a coin into the boys pocket. I put my finger to my lips to quite him. No doubt the man would take it if he knew. The boy scampers up the stairs to the second floor. When I turn back to the bar I see a large mug of ale and a plate of steaming food. I carry it to a corner watch the room. I get a few stares but no one tries to talk to me, thankfully. When my first mug is empty I wave for a refill and tuck into the food. Roasted lamb, mashed potatoes, and a gravy that made my mouth water. The man obviously took great pride in everything he owned. I guess small towns meant that this was one of the only places to eat and drink.

The second ale goes down faster than the first and finally, the constant ache begins to fade. I wave for a third. A lyre player plays in the corner for coin, the notes just barely making it over the din of conversation. A couple serving girls expertly weave through the crowd. A third mug of ale appears in front of me with a smiling face. I almost bite my tongue off to keep from saying Lena's name. The girl has dark hair just like hers, but that is where the similarities end. Her eyes are dark, face a little more round and scared hands of a working girl.

"Hello," she says almost nervously.

"Good evening." I focus on her hair, it frames her face just like Lena's. It is just as long and shines in the faint candlelight. 

"Where do you come from, stranger?" My drunken mind barks a laugh before I can stop it.

"Nowhere really. Its been a long time since I called somewhere home." I see interest spark in her eyes. She gets up from the bench across from me and sits in the small space next to me, forcing me to slide over a bit. She sits so close that only my plate mail separates our skin.

"Sounds lonely." Her eyes fixate on mine and in the near darkness of the room I can almost pretend they are Lena's.

"It wasn't for a brief time. Now I am alone again." The girl leans in closer. This was a mistake.

"Brief is better than nothing." Her breath hits my lips as she sighs out the words.

He lips meet mine sloppily, not with the elegance of Lena's. Still, I pretend. I pretend the hair I wrap in my fingers is hers. The hands pressed to my neck are hers. Somehow she pulls me from the bench and through the crowd. We go up the stairs and stop outside my room. The girl presses me against the wall and meets my lips again. Suddenly how this would play out explodes into my mind. I was not the mysterious man she thought I was. And this was not Lena. I pull away.

"I'm sorry. I can't" 

"Whoever she is she still has your heart." I smile a small smile and trail my fingers down her cheek.

"She never thought to give it back, and I left before she could."

The girl places one more kiss on my lips before disappearing down the steps. I enter my room and wedge the only chair under the handle since it lacked a bolt. I strip naked and attempt to find a comfortable way to sleep, avoiding my back and stomach. 

After a few hours of a deep sleep that only a bed can provide, I rise before the sun. Dressing again, I leave a gold coin on the bedside table. More than enough for the room and food, but my coins would be no good once I reached the border. Cadmium had different coins and neither country accepted that of the other. Border towns filled with black markets usually did, melting and forging new coins for whatever direction they needed them. I quietly leave through the empty tavern and walk through the town before the half-light of approaching dawn.

My feet find the path south. Each step carrying me further from Kandor, from Lena. Each day began to blur together. I avoided towns after my mistake in the tavern. Camping, hunting, walking, repeat. I thought of trying to buy a horse but my heart wouldn't let me. I hoped Comet was happy. Hopefully, he would forget about me soon. 

It took twice as long to make it to the borderlands as it did to get to Kandor on the horse. Nearly a month had passed and I could feel the cold coming. Days were shortening and leaves on trees were turning colors. I was walking through one of the ramshackle towns built in the ruins of civilization. I carried a small doe over my shoulders, hoping to trade it for Cadmium coins. Dust from fires long since gone swirled at my feet and through the burnt out streets. I followed the pillar of smoke to a man who was selling meat. After much back and forth we settled on a small purse of coins, mostly copper, but some silver was thrown in. He also threw in some cured meat for my travels. As dusk began to fall I tucked my self into the corner of a shell of a hut, sword hilt gripped firmly in my hand. I fell into a shallow sleep, my ears ever listening to approaching sounds. 

When the scuffling comes I jump to my feet, sword already out. But someone drops on me from above. I can only glimpse the multiple figures standing over me before something heavy hits my head, knocking me unconscious. When I come to, I have been gagged and bound, stripped to my underclothes and bounce in the back of a wagon. I try to sit up but a boot comes down on my chest. Out of the shadows of the dark covered wagon comes a crooked grin and a foul little man.

"Easy there, pretty lady. You were hard to track. Can't have you getting away again. No doubt the Banished Hero of Argo will get us some good coin." He laughs a greasy laugh. 

Suddenly I roll over, the man falls to his face as his leg is taken out from under him. In a swift move, I bunch my legs to my chest then use all my effort to throw them to the ground and my torso upwards. Hoping on my bound legs  to the back I can almost see the ground falling away behind the moving cart. A club hits my stomach and I fall to the side, I almost throw up against my gag. 

"Not so fast." A large man looms over me, then kicks my stomach for good measure. 

The two drag me back into the back of the wagon and bind my hands to my feet, completely hobbling my movements. The two watch me from the corners of their eyes as they settle in a safe distance from me, both now armed. I resign, too tired of fighting, and try to lose consciousness, thankfully my wounds had at least scabbed over. I knew we were headed south, the temperature already rising despite the night.